In the metal trades and arts, it is sometimes necessary to decrease the diameter of, lengthen, straighten, or change the shape of metal wire. This can be accomplished by a cold forming process that does not use heat to change the shape of the metal. For example, the metal wire can be pulled through holes in a drawplate. As the wire is pulled through a hole smaller than its circumference, it is forced to take on the size and shape of the hole. Metal workers grip the wire with drawtongs to pull it through the drawplate. The force required to draw wire can limit both which tasks can be accomplished and which personnel can accomplish the tasks.
The strength required for pulling a metal wire through a drawplate can be mitigated by the design of the drawtongs. Traditional drawtongs are held by gripping both hands around a handle inline with the pulling direction, like gripping the rope in a tug-of-war. The present invention is a novel gripping tool apparatus that places two handles approximately orthogonal to the direction of pulling. This allows each hand to grasp a handle, like grasping bike handlebars. This position is more ergonomic, allowing the metalworker a firm, comfortable grip for a uniform, horizontal pulling motion. The design of the traditional drawtongs requires the user to squeeze the handles to grip the wire and then pull the tongs to draw the wire. The orientation of the actuator in the present invention allows the pulling action itself to create a gripping force.
In one possible use of the present invention, a metalworker can create a pointed end on the wire to allow a portion of the wire to pass through the drawplate and protrude out of the opposite side. He or she can then place the protruding end of the wire between the plier jaws of the gripping tool. Using the actuator, he or she can clamp the wire firmly between the plier jaws. The actuator may be locked into closed position or may be designed in such a way that the act of grasping the handles to pull the wire keeps the actuator in the closed position. The worker then grasps the handles, one in each hand, and tugs firmly to pull the wire through the drawplate hole. The circumference of the wire will have taken on the size and shape of the hole, provided that the hole is smaller than the original circumference of the wire.